What Ten Thai Private Hospitals Charge for a Single Paracetamol Tablet, and Where the Gap Comes From

The paracetamol price reported to Thailand’s Department of Internal Trade runs from THB 3.50 to THB 15.08 a tablet across ten private hospitals, a 4.3x spread. Sukhumvit Hospital is the highest at THB 15.08 and ViMUT Theptarin the lowest at THB 3.50. Every entry is a 500 mg tablet except Bumrungrad, which dispenses 325 mg. Each reported paracetamol price already includes that hospital’s dispensing and handling costs.

All Ten Paracetamol Prices, Ranked From Highest to Lowest

The table ranks each hospital by its reported price per tablet, with a final column converting every entry to a common 500 mg basis so the numbers compare directly:

Per-tablet prices from the private hospital drug price database, Department of Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce · final column calculated by the Luxe Addict team, normalising every entry to 500 mg

Narrow it to Tylenol 500 mg alone, the same brand and strength at six of the ten, and the range still runs from THB 3.50 to THB 15.08. Same molecule, same dose, same manufacturer, 4.3 times the price.

Why Bumrungrad’s THB 8 Is Not the Same THB 8 as Everyone Else’s

Three hospitals sit at THB 8 a tablet: MedPark, Thonburi Bamrungmuang and Bangkok Hospital. Bumrungrad reports THB 8 as well, but it dispenses CEEMOL at 325 mg rather than 500 mg.

Put on an equal footing, matching the 500 mg the others dispense costs THB 12.31 at Bumrungrad. That lifts it from a joint fourth place to second overall, behind Sukhumvit alone.

This is the step most price comparisons skip. They line up the price per tablet without asking how much drug is inside the tablet.

The Retail Gap: Up to Nine Times the Pharmacy Shelf Price

Tylenol 500 mg sells online at THB 320 for a 200-tablet box, or THB 1.60 a tablet. SARA 500 mg sells at THB 12 for a strip of ten, or THB 1.20 a tablet.

• Sukhumvit at THB 15.08 against Tylenol at THB 1.60 in a pharmacy is 9.4 times

• ViMUT Theptarin at THB 3.50 against the same THB 1.60 is 2.2 times

• Samitivej at THB 4.50 against SARA at THB 1.20 in a pharmacy is 3.8 times

• On ten tablets taken home, Sukhumvit comes to THB 150.80 and ViMUT to THB 35.00, a gap of THB 115.80

Calculated by the Luxe Addict team from online pharmacy listings checked on 16 September 2026 · ten tablets is an illustrative quantity, not a recommended dose

That 9.4x figure sits close to independent analysis published on 30 July 2026 by 101 PUB with the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, which found a median markup of 9.1 times over average procurement cost for paracetamol across more than 150 private hospitals.

The Private Hospital Association has argued that a hospital’s drug price is never the drug alone. It covers storage rooms air-conditioned and humidity-controlled around the clock, pharmacists who handle procurement and quality checks, and the cost of rotating stock before it expires.

Three Things Worth Knowing Before You Reach the Counter

Since 2019, Central Committee on Prices of Goods and Services Announcement No. 87 has required private hospitals to report both purchase and selling prices of medicines to the Department of Internal Trade. Three things follow from that:

• Check prices in advance through the department’s drug price search and comparison system, which covers more than 300 private hospitals and is searchable by drug name or by hospital

• Hospitals must display a scannable QR code for prices and must provide a treatment cost estimate when a patient asks for one. Failing either is an offence under the same announcement

• Dose and quantity are questions for a doctor or pharmacist, not for a price table. These figures compare cost, they do not replace medical advice

Reported prices still move with outpatient or inpatient status, the quantity dispensed, and any individual discount or insurance arrangement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do paracetamol prices differ by more than four times between private hospitals?

Because the reported price folds in dispensing and handling, storage under international quality control standards, pharmacy staffing and each hospital’s own medical service costs. Those costs are not identical, so two hospitals can price the same brand at the same strength very differently.

Where can I check a hospital’s drug prices before I go?

Through the Department of Internal Trade’s drug price search and comparison system, or by scanning the QR code displayed at the hospital. Both are searchable by drug name and by hospital.

What if a hospital will not display prices or give a cost estimate?

You can file a complaint with the Department of Internal Trade. Failing to display the price QR code, or refusing a treatment cost estimate when a patient requests one, is an offence under Central Committee on Prices of Goods and Services Announcement No. 87 of 2019.

Is the price in this table what I would actually pay?

It is the per-tablet price each hospital reported to the database. The final amount still depends on how many tablets are dispensed, outpatient or inpatient status, discounts and insurance. Use these figures to compare hospitals, not as a receipt.

So What Should You Actually Take From These Numbers?

Whether a single tablet costs THB 3.50 or THB 15.08, the difference is about eleven baht and changes nobody’s life. What the table really shows is that the spread inside a hospital bill is real and measurable, and that a drug priced nine times above a pharmacy shelf is still the cheapest line on the invoice.

Paying more is not the problem, as long as you know what you are paying for. The same instinct applies whether you are reading Highest-Paid Female Volleyball Players 2026 or Story of Maison Margiela Tabi Shoes. Check the number first, then decide whether it is worth it. A drug price deserves the same treatment.